Freedom or Love?
by Catholic89
Summary: Elizabeth left Will at the altar 2 years ago for a life of freedom as a pirate on the Pearl. Will now works as a blacksmith in Tortuga. The Pearl just docked in Tortuga for the first time in two years. More to the plot, involving Barbossa. WE or JE....?
1. Tell Her Ya Idiot

Barbossa, Elizabeth, and Will successfully rescued Captain Jack Sparrow. Since Jack already had died, Davvy Jones had no claim on his life. Barbossa, who had made a deal with Davvy Jones, much like the one Jack did, now sailed on his own. Will and Elizabeth were set to be married, when Elizabeth decided she wanted the freedom of the sea. She left Will at the altar, and joins Jack's crew as a pirate. Two years have passed since then, Will has spent these long years as a blacksmith once again, in Tortuga. Jack and Elizabeth happen to be docking in

William Turner rolled out of his small bed with a very large thump. The thump didn't really matter all that much, due to the hangover he had already. He rubbed his rather greasy forehead, trying to remember what happened last night, but as most days now were, he couldn't. He drank every night now, to the point where most everyone in Tortuga knew his reputation for becoming extremely emotional when drinking. He imagined he probably talked about Elizabeth a lot. He smiled sadly, as he pictured her face. Then, he thought of Jack He imagined the two together, and happy. Will pushed his emotions down, and pulled on his dirty boots. He tied his hair, which was also grubby and unkept, into a small pony. Grunting at his awful appearance, Will dragged himself outside.

Later that day Elizabeth Swann stood at the bow of the ship, her blonde-streaked hair blowing gently in the wind. She was squinting; not exactly lady like, but then again, neither was the rest of her image. She wore a dirty, large tunic in the style that the pirates around her wore. Her coarse brown trousers were worn, and had a new hole that she had gotten in a fight. She had been squinting towards the bay, lights, and clamor that was Tortuga. She hadn't been there in two years, and she had thanked Jack deeply for that. But Jack was a captain, and when the wind blew them in this direction, Tortuga it was. It wasn't Tortuga itself Elizabeth had wanted to stay away from. No, Elizabeth had enjoyed Tortuga before, aside from finding the Commodore, but things had changed drastically since then. Elizabeth put her thoughts on hold as Jack barked an order to her to help tie down the main mast. She ran to the knot, tied it, and went back to her thoughts. She had been at the altar, ready to marry Will, again, but this time it was not by force that she never married him. Or at least, no one else would think it 'by force', but internally Elizabeth found it to be almost that powerful. The sea, the freedom that was the sea, was too powerful for her to resist. She had needed that freedom. Elizabeth knew then, as well as she did now, that Will would not have restricted her. Had she only asked he would have done anything for her, Elizabeth knew that, but she couldn't see their marriage lasting as pirates on the sea. Who had ever heard of married pirates? No, Elizabeth had to choose, then and there, between freedom and Will. Freedom had won by force. Even now Elizabeth couldn't tell whether that had been a mistake or not. She only knew what she felt. She felt miserable every time she thought of Will, and of how much she still loved him. But every time they raided a port, she was so happy when she was reminded of the cloistered life they led, the life she had escaped. Elizabeth sighed when she came to realize where her thoughts had led. Many a time she had mulled these same thoughts over, and they always came to the same, unanswered place. Now though she had no more time to come to a solution. Now they were boarding in Tortuga.

Captain Jack Sparrow stood at the bow of /his/ ship. Kohl-lined eyes watched the shores of Tortuga encroach. A small smile played on his face, as black dreadlocks and all manner of trinkets blew in the Caribbean wind. It had been two years since he had last watched these shores come closer and closer, and he became uncomfortable thinking about how things had changed since then. Dear William, from what he had heard, now roamed the streets of Tortuga, apparently quite the drunk. And his former fiancee was now part of Jack's crew. Funny little world…

Jack turned around to see his crew waiting for orders. He put a hand on a hip.

"What are you waiting for then?" He started to bark orders that he had known for many years, occasionally retying a knot here, and pushing things there, never mind whether what or who, they were.

"GIBBS!"He yelled. The man whom he called First Mate, and friend ran to him,

"Yes, Capt'n?"

"Have you got their pay all sorted, then?"

" 'Course, sir. It's waitin' in yer cabin."

"Pay them then, and…take a little extra for yourself, mate." Jack ordered, smiling. Jack walked, swaying as usual, to the bow. He looked out into Tortuga, and then watched as his crew, giddy, ran off the dock, into town with gold clanking in their pockets that was doomed to be spent. He grinned; this was piracy.

Elizabeth watched the rest of the crew run into town, the sun setting and the chaos rising. She saw Jack swagger up to the bow. She followed him, waiting to hear the noise level get higher as all of Tortuga found out that the infamous legend, Captain Jack Sparrow and his crew had docked in Tortuga. Elizabeth knew Will would be somewhere in that mix, and was waiting until the last possible moment to go through that mess. She greeted Jack mildly, and leaned against the railing of the ship, knowing that neither of them needed, or wanted to talk. She stood in silence, staring, but not taking in, the sight of Tortuga in front of her.

Will wiped his grimy hands against his smock, not that it was any cleaner than his hands to begin with. He remembered the days in Port Royal when he had found it necessary to keep the entire shop immaculate, and in order. He would've smiled, normally, but he never smiled anymore, unless he was drunk, which, was in fact the plan he had on his mind for himself. He untied the strings of the soiled smock, and hung it lazily on a hook. He wiped his hands again on his slightly cleaner faded blue trousers. Will sighed, scratched his forehead taking a quick scan of the shop, and turned out onto the now dark streets of Tortuga. Almost instantly He was hit with the crazed madness of what must've been a large crew's arrival into Tortuga, Then, winding his way through the busy streets, he saw a familiar looking man.

"Gibbs?" He asked to himself. Will stopped frozen, all of a sudden the madness around him, simply a blur. His emotions boiled, just under his skin, wanting out.

"Elizabeth,"he thought over and over again. Then Will flew to the closest bar he knew, and almost screamed,"RUM!" A few of what he now knew must've been Jack's crew stared at him, but the Tortuga locals just rolled their eyes, and proceeded to continue their madness, or just change the subject to Will himself. Will ran to the bartender who had pulled out a bottle instead of the mug, knowing Will would need it. As fast as he could, and without thinking Will drank it , then ordered another. When he was halfway through that bottle, Will was drunk.

The bartender, who had a free minute walked over to Will.

"Rough nigh' boy?" he asked. Will, who had been hunched over his rum, looked up, a piece of hair covering most of one of his sad, brown eyes.

"She's here…,"he muttered, hazily. The bartender, who knew Will's story inside and out thanks to many a drunken night, looked at him,

"Well, ya love her, boy. Go tell her, ya idiot." Will looked up at him again.

I've had an epip-any! I'll find her and tell her I love her!" Will's face lit up with this idea. The bartender just smiled and nodded,"Ya do that boy."He said, holding back a laugh, then ran off to another customer.


	2. Pretty Much

Elizabeth stood still, not having moved even a muscle. Her eyes were wet, though she kept herself from crying. She lifted a slender, dirty hand to wipe her eyes before they overflowed. Elizabeth took in a deep breath and turned to Jack. She hadn't wanted to speak to him, but it seemed she should offer to some explanation for her actions before she took to them. Her lip trembled slightly as she spoke, "He'll hate me now, Jack." She paused and averted his eyes by looking down to the sea for a moment, "I will not... I cannot see him. There is no reason to." She finished, and walked away from the Captain whose head was cocked to the side and brow furrowed, slightly confused at Elizabeth's sudden decision. Jack stood there for a moment in the same confused position, and then started to run after Elizabeth, who had already made her way below deck.

"You know," He yelled gruffly as he descended as well, "Rum is excellent for this sort of thing." Elizabeth turned on her heel, just as Jack reached her, making them hit each other roughly. Jack gripped her arms to pull them apart yet keep them steady. "Is that your solution for every problem?" She spat at him, angry that he had even followed her. Jack was still gripping her arms as he replied,"Ahhh... Pretty much." Elizabeth gave him a dirty look and was about to reply sourly when Jack cut in," I'm sorry love. Didn't mean to cause all of this," He took one arm off and gestured to her face. "Just trying to be helpful."

Elizabeth's face softened a little. Repulsive pirate. He couldn't think to help her in any other way besides rum, and yet it was an odd gesture of care. She took a deep breath and suddenly became aware of his hand still upon her arm. She glanced down at it, and Jack started to pull away, not interested in another outburst. Elizabeth watched his hand pull away silently, but took hold of it gently. "Thank you, Jack." She turned then, and left him there walking farther down the narrow hallway, aiming for her cabin. She had been given the cabin specially being a woman. It had been Jack's idea. She gripped the doorknob, but turned back to look at Jack. She smiled slightly and then entered her cabin, shutting the door behind her.


	3. Mitiny

A/N: First, thank you reviewers! Second, there's a conversation at the very end of this chapter that I don't want to give away, so I'll just say that any mispellings/grammar mistakes are intentional. If you don't get it, let me know in a review! Once again, all reviews are ver much loved. Oh, and I apologize that the middle of this chapter is a little boring... It was just stuff that needed to be written, and there wasn't any creative way to do it. It's important for the next chapter though! Happy reading!

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The cabin was small, dark, and damp. That was the way the whole ship was. Elizabeth had done her best though to add a few bright touches. A wooden vase, painted sky blue, sat on the nightstand next to her bunk. She had… borrowed it from a small port they had sacked a month or so back. The bunk itself had tainted white sheets, but a beautiful blue feather comforter. She had "borrowed" that as well, and prided herself on its elegance. It all seemed surreal now. Had she actually lived on this ship, in this cabin, as a _pirate_ for two years now? And would she stay here the rest of her days? Plundering, cussing, and pirating on the sea? Had this all just been some sort of dreamlike part of her life that would end? Did she want it to end? Her last quandary struck her. "No! Never!" Was her immediate thought. She had run away from a would-be husband, a father, and real home for this. She could _not_ have made the wrong decision, could she have? Elizabeth sat down on the bed, and looked down at her hands. There, on her right ring finger, was still the small gold engagement ring. "A symbol of love, everlasting." Elizabeth murmured bitterly. She ripped it off and threw it to the floor. A red mark showed where it had sat for two years. Why had she never taken it off? Was it a connection back to her old life, far away from this dream one? Yes, it had been, but it had also been her reminder of Will. What had she done to him? What had she done to herself? Elizabeth's eyes were pained and growing watery. She wiped them ruggedly, trying to cut off the pain… and her thoughts. She loved this life. It wasn't too good to be true, after all it was separate from Will. It was the right choice. It _had_ to be.

Elizabeth's eyes turned slowly to her nightstand, remembering what she kept in there. She flew over to it and pulled the drawer open. In side was pouch, much like the one Gibbs carried around. She kept it there only to clean any cuts or wounds, in a mild effort to be sanitary. The alcohol she had filled it with was strong, very strong. The man she had bought it form told her it could nearly knock a grown man off his feet. Her hands shook as she lifted from its place. She was crying now, her soul racked with painful thoughts and memories. So she had been reduced to this then. Elizabeth pulled off the cap and took a sip. It burned as if she had thrown fire down her throat, yet she took another sip. She cried harder now, and pressed the back of her hand over her eyes, as if it could help. "Lord, what have I done? Was it right?" She whispered. Her vision was blurred now because of the tears… and the drink.

* * *

Will wandered through the streets of Tortuga, trying to find Elizabeth. He had been searching for some time; enough time that some of his sense had returned. The streets were not going to do him any good. Will turned his direction towards the taverns. Perhaps he would be more likely to find her there.

* * *

Jack had not entered Tortuga yet. Instead, he waited for Elizabeth to come out of her cabin. Jack wondered what she could possibly find to do in that tiny cabin. His was larger, and he found himself bored within five minutes. Of course, Captain Jack Sparrow had the attention span of a child. Jack had taken a bottle of rum from the ship's cellar and found a comfortable spot above deck. He stood against the broad handrail of his ship, flipping his compass open and shut.

Below deck Elizabeth had long since stopped her tears. Whatever strong kind of alcohol she had drank had helped with that. It had also helped her to suddenly feel very free and unconcerned. She suddenly found herself wanting to find a good time, and her surroundings were of little help to that notion. Elizabeth pulled herself up and stumbled out of her quarters. The hallway suddenly seemed to be swaying , yet she continued above deck. Jack did not see her until she had made her way to the wheel. Elizabeth was stroking the spokes of the wheel, when Jack ran up to her, waving one hand about and yelling, "Stop! No! Don't turn it!" When he reached her Jack pulled her away rapidly. "I'm not sure if you're aware Miss Elizabeth, but this is my ship and that wheel is mine. My wheel. He gestured to himself So, I would be much inclined if you resisted… touching it… Please." He finished looking at her, and suddenly realizing that his grip was all that was keeping her standing up. Elizabeth Swann was drunk.

"Captain," Elizabeth drawled, "I was just curious… Are you still curiosity?" She smiled. Looking slightly out of her mind.

Jack cocked his head. Then he smiled slightly. Jack wasn't about

"Yes, I am still curious… I think you are still curious, too. Aren't you Lizzie?"

"Maybe I am Jack. Why don't you let me find out?" She asked, smiling still. Elizabeth leaned in towards him, less than gracefully.

"I'm not sure I should indulge you first, love. I would find it immoral for me to be first when you are in such a state…"

"Mr. Sparrow! You are lying through your teeth. You would never find anything immoral, except mitniy."

"Mitiny? That's a new kind of offense I've never tried. Do tell, love."

"With all due respect, Captain, I think you need to shut it."

"Shut it? Shut what?"

"Perhaps I can give you a hint…" And with that Elizabeth tore off Jack's hat, and kissed him.


	4. Humiliation

Jack's arms reached around Elizabeth as they continued. Only after several minutes did Elizabeth pull away.

"Captain… I want to go into Tortuga." She said primly though with an undertone of a drunken slur.

Jack put a minor thought to their previous conversation, back when Elizabeth was sober. He was already probably going to be slapped for this tomorrow, so he agreed.

"Of course. And how do you plan on transporting yourself from here to there in your current condition?"

To this Elizabeth smiled at him, thinking of one way.

"I don't think I like that idea very much, thank you." Jack replied with a sort of wince on his face. Elizabeth leaned in and traced her fingers on his lips. "Please…" She asked, in a low tone and slowly as if she was more flirting with him than pleading.

Jack cleared his throat, "Fine." He replied gruffly. Elizabeth smiled again, having got exactly what she wanted. Jack eyed her once, probably regretting his agreement. Then, he picked her up, holding her like an oversized baby with one arm under her knees and the other around her waist. Elizabeth put her hands around his neck, still smiling in her victory.

"I believe you are going to owe me for this one, Miss Swann." Jack muttered spitefully. After all, this was humiliation to the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow.

And so they went into Tortuga, Elizabeth perfectly happy and Jack… not. Finally they reached a tavern. "I can walk from here, Jack." Elizabeth drawled drunkenly just before they entered the tavern. Jack put her down quickly. Elizabeth turned and kissed him again. They walked into the tavern and found two chairs. Instead, Elizabeth sat on Jack's lap, much like the wenches did. To this Jack didn't argue. Soon, they had two mugs of rum in front of them, and an audience listening to Jack's latest exaggerated adventure.

Around them swirled the regular Tortuga happenings. In a corner there was an Irishman playing a jig, above him on a balcony were two pirates in a brawl. Elsewhere there were wenches flirting, touching, and in general earning their payments. Just beyond Jack and Elizabeth's table there was the largest event of the night. A circle of pirates surrounded one man who seemed to have done a good share of pocket picking. Swords were drawn, and another clash had begun. The tavern was going about it's business as usual.

So, when the blacksmith of the town walked in it was no surprise to him that he had to duck a bottle of rum flying through the air. Will pushed forward pass the pocket picker and his horde of enemies. He looked around, just as he had done in all the taverns before this one. His eyes scanned the bar, checked the back wall, and then glanced around the center. Just before turning out to leave, his eye caught a group who seemed to surround one table. Will's heart quickened as he stepped towards. Finally he was able to their entertainer. And his accomplice. Will stood frozen. His Elizabeth…

"Hello Will!" She slurred.


	5. A Bit Schnockered

A/N: I had a GREAT time writing this chapter, and I really hope you all like it! Oh, and I'd like to make a special request for reviews because this story has gotten about 800 + hits and only 18 reviews... So, please review!

This is the same chapter as before, but I just got it out of the poetry format because that was bothering some.

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Will stared at her and shook his head. So this is who she was now. This wasn't the woman he had been in love with. Will took another look at her, ignore the stares of all those around him. Most of them by now realized that she was the one he always talked drunkenly about, and were silent now. Then he turned and walked out of the tavern, his face hard. When he stepped outside the cool night air hit him, as if sealing that story. Will took a deep breath and then turned himself in the direction of his shop and home. With every step his heart seemed to numb more.

* * *

The rest of the night was a blur to Elizabeth, and she couldn't remember why she had a headache the next morning. Elizabeth woke up in her cabin, in her bed. She was on top of the covers, which was unusual for her. She didn't remember it being too warm last night to go under her covers. Then, as she thought about it, she didn't remember much of last night at all; except for thinking she saw two moons. Soon Elizabeth was trying to think of the last thing she could remember.It was leaving her cabin drunk. Suddenly Elizabeth needed to know what had happened last night and she could only think of one person who would know. She sat up, and then grabbed her head as the pain seared through. After a few minutes she stood up again, and slowly made her way out of her cabin. She moved on to the Captain's cabin. When she reached the door she leaned her head against it, and smacked the door in an attempt to knock. The door opened, Jack scrunching his nose, knowing what was coming. 

"Jack," She said, thinking it would come out normally, but instead it came out as more of a moan,

"What happened last night?" As she said this she walked into his cabin, and sat down at a mahogany table. The cabin contained two parts. One was this part, where the table was the centerpiece and took up most of the space. The cabin was lighter as it was at the very stern of the ship and was open to a set of windows. Off to the side there was a door that lead to the bedroom. Elizabeth sat in a chair at the head of the table, her head in her hands.

"Not that much really…" He replied knowing that would probably not suffice.

"Jack!" Elizabeth said in a louder moan this time.

"Fine!" He said, like a child, "Well, you came from below deck a bit schnockered, asked me if I was still curiosity and eventually forced me to shut up."

Elizabeth snorted, "How did I ever manage to do that?" Jack made a few odd noises trying to figure out how to say this.

"Female friendly persuasion?"

"What? Tell me what I did Jack. " Elizabeth said, sternly.

"You know what's funny…"

"JACK!"

"Kissed me." Jack finally spat out very quickly with a painful look on his face. Elizabeth remained still and silent for a moment.

"Then what Jack?" She said resignedly.Jack, who was amazed that she didn't blame him, continued freely from there until he got to the point where Will entered. When he was silent for moment Elizabeth looked up at him.

"What happened then?"

"Will came in. It seemed like he was looking for you." He said, serious for once.

"Will?" Elizabeth gasped quietly. "Did he see me?"

"Yes."

Elizabeth clasped her hands over her face, and sucked in a deep breath. Through her hands she murmured,

"Finish the story, Jack."

"You slurred a very peppy 'Hello' and Will stood there for a moment, shook his head, and left."

"Oh God…" Elizabeth sighed.

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Review, please! Also, I am looking for someone to preview the next chapter. 


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